Mindless Manhattan Massacre
by gapfiller
Summary: Emelia after the game


Mindless Manhattan Massacre  
  
Note: My memory of the game is a little rusty, so pardon me if I get certain details wrong.  
  
Emelia took a moment to gaze at the gracefully curved skyline of Manhattan, taking in just how much work must have gone into building this place. Cars zipped along the ribbon-like highways while various aircraft and aerial mecs flew about the high-tech towers of the city. The city truly was an amazing accomplishment, made all the more amazing by the fact that none of the foundations were set on any solid earth. Manhattan was the ultimate form of man and mecmade craftmanship, all of it somehow floating through the sky.  
  
The ex-model reflected that the old her would have completely taken this place for granted. And she had. Before her life had been turned upside down, she'd come to the Manhattan Shopping Mall plenty of times. Well, those days were over and so were the troubled days that followed. Ren, the Joker, prison, Gradius, Cube, all of it was behind her. Her mind was still reeling by how it all ended. Thinking back on it, it just didn't make any sense. She ran a hand through her rich blonde hair before turning back towards the shopping mall.  
  
Emelia smiled inwardly, knowing that her old compatriots in the secret society of Gradius would have frowned on her coming here, especially if she bought something. That would have meant feeding more cash into the already rich Trinity. As far as they were concerned, the Trinity, the almighty conglomerate of the most powerful corporations in robotics, biotechnology, and weaponry, was the enemy. The old Emelia didn't know any of this, save that the Trinity built really nice shopping malls. Yes, she'd learned just how oppressive the Trinity was, what they were capable of, and what they already had done, but they still made really nice shopping malls.  
  
Besides, she was tired of fighting all the time. She just didn't really give a damn who did what to who. She just wanted to get back to her life without any more "excitement".  
  
It wasn't easy going. She tried to get back to her old job of modeling, but no one was returning her calls. She guessed she was already too old for it now. Whenever she looked in the mirror, she could see just how much the recent events in her life had aged her. Well, no matter. She'd saved up a fair amount of cash and Gradius gave her a small but steady flow of funds to her to keep their secret society a secret. Not standard policy, but in light of what she had done for them, her old friends felt she deserved it. Guess the leader was a softie after all, after a little pressure from Annie and Liza. It really wasn't necessary. The last thing Emelia wanted was to dig up anything from that time in her life.  
  
Anyway, she'd developed plenty of other skills that might land her a job in something. Just as long as it didn't embroil her into anything "complicated".  
  
But she decided to worry about that later. She was here to shop.  
  
She wandered around aimlessly, looking at the old shops and the new stores and the various changes that had come to this mall. She felt like she hadn't been here for a lifetime, which she guessed was true. Lifetimes weren't measured in length, but intensity. It just wasn't the same. The old Emelia could have spent an entire day here and whine when it was closing time, but as she was now, she just didn't enjoy any of it. What used to be so beautiful and elegant just looked overindulgent and tacky. She gazed wistfully at the mecs and young men and women cruising around, enjoying themselves or at least moving with a sense of purpose.  
  
She looked through a jewelry store, scanning over the various trinkets offered for sale. None of it looked as pretty as the locket she kept with her. It had been given to her by a Trinity officer for reasons that even today she couldn't fathom. Something important and powerful must have been running through his mind. She could tell that this little piece of jewelry had been important to him. She wondered what happened to him, that Mondo.  
  
Funny. She really wanted to let go of the past, but she couldn't find anything present that was good enough to replace it. Maybe that was what Mondo wanted to do when he gave that locket to her, to let go of the past.  
  
Emelia hung over a railing, shut her eyes, and chewed her lower lip. She didn't need to be here any longer. It just wasn't the same. Whatever she was looking for, it wasn't here. It wasn't in the life that had been taken away from her. She couldn't go back to that ever again. Emelia felt a shudder inside of her. She'd cry, but didn't. It was more like she wanted to cry, but couldn't. She felt hollow.  
  
She opened her eyes and slapped the railing with her palm. Enough of this self-pity crap. It wasn't going to do any good for her.  
  
Still, this mall wasn't doing anything for her. She decided to leave, after she got something to eat. She entered a nice looking burger place, not really feeling a need for anything fancy. Her eyes swept up to the menu but then noticed someone along the side. Someone from the past.  
  
He was seated at the table by himself, his face cast down on some book. Emelia felt the blood boil inside of her at the sight of him. Fuse! That rat-bastard excuse of a police officer! The one who'd sent her to Despair Prison! He, along with the Joker, had torn apart her old life!  
  
Fuse was an IRPO officer. The Interregional Police Organization was supposed to help guard the regions from organized crime and pirates, but they were really just Trinity lapdogs. Most of them were corrupt or just incredibly incompetent, as Emelia had learned first hand. She remembered his words to her: "Lady, we'll find the evidence." She'd been sent to prison for the murder of her fiance, Ren because of this guy! What sort of strings had this guy pulled to send her there?  
  
Setting her jaw, Emelia strode up to the table and leaned over, blocking out Fuse's reading light.  
  
Without looking up, the officer sneered. "Beat it. I only got a ten minute break."  
  
Emelia waited, coolly gazing down at the ratty blond brown hair, the rough beard, the same stupid brutal look on his face when she'd first met him. Finally, the officer looked up. The shock on his face made Emelia smile.  
  
"You. . .!" Fuse didn't get to finish his sentence as Emelia's fist shot out into his face. He keeled over his chair, sprawled on the floor.  
  
Emelia advanced on the officer as still on the ground, he scrambled backwards. His legs were tangled with the chair and he dragged it with him, making loud groans as the chair ground against the floor. "You little son of a bitch!" Emelia roared. "Do you have any idea how much you screwed up my life! Do you have any idea what I'm about to do to you?!"  
  
Fuse set his face, his eyes smoldering. "Shut up, you murdering bitch! You killed Ren!"  
  
Emelia sneered. The guy actually believed what he was saying. "Wrong. You just wanted to believe I did, because you were too stupid to find out who really did it!"  
  
Fuse started to reach into his jacket, but Emelia was quicker, drawing twin Aguni-CP1s from hidden places in a blink of an eye. It was one of the skills she'd learned after being sent to prison. She trained the pistols to the officer's head. Fuse's face twitched, still defiant.  
  
"How the hell did you get out of prison?"  
  
"Determination," Emelia said honestly. "I didn't want to stay somewhere I didn't belong. I also wanted to get back at the bastard who sent me there!" Her eyes narrowed as she came to a decision. It was time to put the past behind her, once and for all.  
  
Fuse stared at the crazy blonde, reading her face. The barrels of the guns were like extensions of her eyes. She was going to shoot him. She was different from the last time they'd met. She was an excellent actress back then, faking her emotions at losing Ren almost perfectly, but she was showing her true colors now. Maybe this was the last face his friend saw before he got a bullet to the face. First Ren, now him. Well, he wasn't about to give her a second round of satisfaction. He kicked his legs up just as Emelia started to pull the triggers on her guns. The chair that had been tangled around his legs flew up and blocked the bullets that had been sent to Fuse's head.  
  
With a shout, the officer kicked himself up onto his feet and still yelling, flung himself at Emelia, grabbing onto her by the wrists, keeping the guns pointed away from himself. They rolled across the ground, knocking over chairs and tables, scrambling for control. They lost their grip on each other and Emelia rolled out the entrance as Fuse skidded to a halt. He moved for cover among the knocked over tables as Emelia fired several rounds into the shop.  
  
Wood and plastic shredded around him as he got out his hand blaster, standard issue for all IRPO officers. He pointed the blaster at the table he was hiding behind, guessing where the source of the gunfire was coming from. A concentrated beam of energy cut through the table and towards the entrance. He heard a scream of pain and the gunfire stopped. He sprang up and fired another shot at Emelia, who was now hunched over, pressing against her stomach. Unfortunately, the shot was a little wide as Emelia hobbled to the side of the entrance. The stray shot carved through railing on the far side of the mall, melting a mec's arm into molten slag.  
  
Fuse immediately advanced and set his hand blaster to sword mode. He boiled out of the entrance and at Emelia, but she was ready for him. She sidestepped the stab of energy and backhanded him across the face. Fuse's head snapped back and he felt the blaster sword ripped out of his hand. He barely had time to duck the next blow. Seeing an opening, Fuse sprung up and kicked Emelia across the chest, sending her flying over the railing.  
  
He leaned over and looked at the body of the blonde sprawled across the floor. She'd only fallen one level, but it looked like it was over. Fuse's eyes widened when the prone body suddenly lifted its arms and fired a volley of shots his way. Fuse leaned back as Emelia opened fire, feeling bullets breeze by him. He fell backward as the stray shots shattered glass in a store above him, eliciting panicked screams. He searched for his hand blaster and scrambled towards it.  
  
Emelia rose painfully, keeping her arms pointed up at Fuse, gritting her teeth. She reminded herself that Fuse's shot was just a graze across the stomach, not so bad, really. And the fall? Nothing. She'd turned it into a roll and her head only felt crushed. She just had to focus on the threat at hand.  
  
She couldn't see him from where she was, but she knew she had to get out of here. The police officer was sure to be calling for backup and Trinity itself wouldn't appreciate people who started shootouts in their malls. She rose to her feet and started moving away, keeping her eye on the level above. She glanced back to see where the exits were. Then she noticed the reflections in the glass of the various stores. She could see him, crawling like the dog he really was. It was time for another trick she learned.  
  
Her eyes swept across the mall quickly and she found what looked like strong, solid surfaces to shoot at. Her mind worked quickly, taking in all the angles that would lead to their final destination. She lost no time in loosing the rounds from her twin pistols. The shots bounded off her first target and raced for another hard surface and another and another, until it found its mark.  
  
Fuse had almost gotten to his blaster when a bloom of pain shot up from his leg. He screamed, curling into a fetal ball, rolling across the floor. Luckily, writhing in pain actually helped him dodge a few of the other shots, shots that would have been fatal had he stood still. Forgetting the blaster, he crawled for one of the stores, screaming again as another two rounds buried into the back of the knee on his other leg. Whimpering in pain, he crawled into a camera store, trailing slick blood behind him.  
  
Wheezing for breath, Fuse fought to remember the technique he'd learned in Kyo, focusing his mind's energy to heal his body. He tried to block out the pain as he forced his mental energies into knitting his body back together. He felt something in his legs shift and then he was whole again.  
  
Sitting up and feeling his breath steady again, Fuse looked out store carefully, not seeing his blaster anymore. By now, throngs of shoppers were fleeing the mall, some of the crushing past the store he was in. Someone had probably kicked his blaster out of the way. He was without weapons, and there were too many innocent bystanders, so he took his radio.  
  
"This if Fuse! I need backup!"  
  
There was a pause and Fuse could almost see the dispatcher rolling up her eyes. "Oh, geez. Are you on that flower mission again?"  
  
"Shut up! I'm at the Manhattan Mall! There's this crazy woman going Rambo on me and I need backup! Now!"  
  
Emelia staggered for the emergency exit, since this definitely qualified as an emergency. Plenty of panicked shoppers had already used them, so why shouldn't she? During the panic, she'd taken the time to pop open a vial of healing medicine and downed it, some of it still dribbling down the side of her mouth. She felt a little better and moved a little faster than before. She was almost at the exit when the main entrance to the mall burst open and through it stepped metallic monsters of gleaming chrome.  
  
K-9 mecs, Emelia recognized. Looking for her, probably. The dog like machines swiveled their heads, looking like they were sniffing the air. Of course, these dogs couldn't sniff anything, but had sensors that were much better than anything found on a real dog. They spotted her.  
  
Emelia fired first, unloading almost her entire clip in both guns. The bullets bounced off their armored hides, making only the occasional dent. Her guns simply didn't have enough punch. It was their turn now. The K-9s crouched low and rocket tubes sprung from hidden compartments on their backs. With a bright flash, they fired simultaneously. The rockets streaked towards Emelia as she dove low behind a bench. The store walls behind her vaporized in a white hot flash of heat even as Emelia desperately searched for a way past those mecs. Her eyes shot high and saw a huge logo of the Trinity suspended high above by taut wires.  
  
Emelia flipped one of her guns high to distract the mecs, which fired their next volley at the flipping metal, as she snapped one of the wires with her other gun. The logo swung ponderously and dangerously . The rockets streaked overhead as the distracting gun fell into Emelia's waiting hand. As soon as it landed, she severed the other wire with a single shot, sending the giant Trinity logo crashing on top of the K-9 mecs in a huge cloud of dust.  
  
Not waiting for the dust to clear, Emelia squinted her eyes as she made her way for the exit. She shaded her eyes with a dust caked hand as she breached the outside. A crowd had gathered around the scene of all the mayhem and IRPO vehicles were just starting to land. Emelia quickly hid her guns as she made her way past the crowds and away from the scene of the crime.  
  
She didn't stop until she was outside the travel office. Only then did she take the time to catch her breath. She didn't know what had come over her. She didn't want to shoot Fuse, at least she didn't think she wanted to, not until she had the guns in her hand, pointed at his face. Something in her just snapped. But now she realized that she had just ruined her life, by her own hand. She was sure to be a wanted woman now. What had she done?  
  
Well, first thing was first. She had to get out of here.  
  
A shadowy form suddenly materialized in front of her, stopping her in her tracks. She backed up, alarmed, reaching for her guns. They were already pointed in front of her when the form completely materialized. Slowly, recognition came to Emelia as she slowly lowered her guns. Neat, shoulder-length green hair, dark uniform, stony gaze, yes, she knew this man. Or rather, mystic.  
  
"Ildon?" Emelia said, putting her guns back in place.  
  
If Ildon had any feelings towards being greeted by guns to the face, he didn't show it. Not that he showed much of anything. That was how he was like. In a drab monotone, he stated, "Charm Lord Asellus requests your presence at Chateau Aguille for a celebration she is holding."  
  
"Charm Lord Asellus?" Emelia paused, taking in the news. She remembered Asellus, that green haired girl in the purple dress. They'd run into each other at Baccarat. Asellus had been searching for a Tarot card from the gnomes there and she had been on a mission for Gradius, dressed up in a ridiculous bunny costume. They helped each other and Emelia had let herself get dragged along in Asellus's journey until further duties in Gradius dragged her away again.  
  
Back then, Asellus had been travelling with another mystic with puffy white hair by the name of White Rose, who always called her "Lady Asellus". From what Emelia could gather, the Charm Lord, who was called Orlouge, was Asellus's enemy. But now she was the Charm Lord? And now she was throwing a party? Guess things had turned out well for her. That was good. She did rather like Asellus.  
  
"Are you coming?" Ildon asked, bringing Emelia out of her thoughts.  
  
"Right now?"  
  
"Yes. Right now."  
  
Emelia's eyes darted around her. It could have been a trick. By Orlouge, by Asellus, there was something about this that didn't seem right. She hadn't seen Asellus since they parted ways. Maybe she'd changed. Unfortunately, Ildon's face betrayed nothing, as it always did.  
  
Well, what have I got to lose? I've just thrown it all away this fine day.  
  
"Sure, I'm game." 


End file.
